


What does she have to lose?

by thatlily



Category: Agent Carter - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, California, F/F, New York, Road Trip, bus trip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-07-16 15:54:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7274347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatlily/pseuds/thatlily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Angie and Peggy are taking a trip across the country.<br/>Separately, but together. <br/>Peggy's POV, but Angie's for one part.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What does she have to lose?

Peggy knows how long this will take. 

41 hours.

She has things to occupy herself with, books, work, television shows. But standing in a bus stop in New York she doesn't know if it's worth it.

There are a few people sitting at the same terminal as she is, a girl about the same age as her, scrolling on her phone, some students - presumably here to not have to pay for a aeroplane - and a teen that looks like a runaway, and some older people.

The light rain that's settling around them all is getting significantly more uncomfortable as the wait time to get on the coach lengthens, when the driver comes out of their bus, number 33 to California, and gives them a silent signal to get on the bus; a collective sigh of relief is let out by the passengers and they all start moving.  
\---

The older people are the first to put their luggage in the undercarriage, then the possible runaway, then the girl, then Peggy. It's a tight fit, due to the fact that there are already some others who are already on the bus - from where Peggy has no idea.

She's one of the last to get on. She stops in the isle, looking for somewhere to sit, the girl, on her phone, is sat with no one opposite her. The only other seats are next to someone looking a little bit nervous, and Peggy is not in the mood to sit next to someone who'll be throwing up the whole time.

Cute girl it is.  
\---

"No, I'm not saying that it wasn't from me, I'm saying that it couldn't have been." Peggy over hears from the seat across the isle from her. It makes her brow furrow.

"Well, if I wasn't having...intercourse with anyone else then you must've been." Comes after a short pause coming from the man on the phone. Peggy's eyes widen a little bit, knowing what this conversation is about.

"We can go to the doctor together." Peggy tries to make her eyes settle on one place, trying to distract herself, she ends up on the face of the girl opposite her. Who also is listening to the conversation.

"If they're a specialist then they've seen worse cases than ours." The man tries to hush his tone.

The girls eyes widen comically, and Peggy tries to push her laughter inwards, succeeding...mostly.

"I'm talking about it like it's a couple thing because it _is_ a couples thing."

Peggy and the mystery girl aren't breaking eye contact, just changing faces at the mans awkward situations. It's very much like a bond, a strange way to start a friendship but what else are they supposed to do?

This conversation continues for a long while, with their laughter getting more and more difficult to hold in. Though soon it became a competition about who could make the worst looking face, neither won, both ended up in laughter induced tears.  
\---

Peggy notices the still nameless girl across from her looking through a pile of Polaroid pictures and a very expensive looking camera. It's clear that the girl has been documenting something, what she wants to document is unclear to Peggy. It's all just roads and cars and trucks and who really cares about it?

This girl, apparently.

The girl must notice her staring, because she looks up and smiles, "You wanna see some?" She asks in a very New Yorker voice.

"Yeah, okay." Peggy takes some from the pile, "Where are all of these from, exactly?"

The girl seems to light up at the sound of Peggy's voice, Peggy's used to it - being English and in New York after all, "I come from New York, I always took pictures of stuff I thought interesting. I'm going to document everything I can about this trip."

This kind of fascinates Peggy, "Why?" She asks simply.

This seems to take the girl by surprise, as if she didn't expect any interest. "I just want to be able to document it. So when I'm old and wrinkly I can look at them and think, 'wow that was a cool time'. That's also why I date them." Peggy looks more through the pictures. Endless sunsets, some of the blue sky, the rain on a window, some group photos, things like that. "I'm Angie, by the way." Peggy looks up, ending her photo-induced trance and smiles at _Angie_.

"Peggy. Peggy Carter." She once again see's the girl's face stretch into a grin. Peggy copies her.  
\---

Peggy gives the photos back, making sure to only touch the edges of the presumably cherished Polaroids. Angie smiles and puts them back in the little tin box that they're help in. Angie looks like she wants to say something, which she does, not long after:

"So, what's your reason for going across the country?" Angie says in a chipper way.

Peggy considers what she's going to say. What would that be? _'Oh, I'm working with a secret organisation which you have never heard of. No, not those, you've heard of those, I just said - it's secret'_ Yeah, that'll work perfectly.

Instead, Peggy just answers, "Work,"

Angie visibly deflates at this and she feels a pang of regret. To be fair, if she had said what she was thinking then maybe Angie would have freaked out a bit and Peggy would have lost her travel-friend.

In order to make sure she doesn't lose her travel friends, she asks the question back, "What about you? Why you going to California from New York?"

Angie looks up to her, a glint in her eye and a smile beginning on her face, "I'm going to be an actress." For some reason this surprises Peggy, but seeing how Angie's face works and how her body moves with all the words she says, it seems like that was what she was supposed to do, like it runs in her veins.

"I can see you as an actress. You'll be great." Angie visibly lightens at this, as if that's what it took to make her believe in herself.

"Thanks, Peg. It really means a bunch," Angie tells her. Peggy smiles, lost for words at the genuineness of the girl.

After a short lull of silence, Angie speaks up again, "Would you mind me taking a picture of you? Or is that kinda weird?"

"Um, no, thank you. We've been on this bus a while and I'm not feeling up to getting my picture taken. I must look a mess," Peggy tells her, trying to be nice about the turning down of her offer.

"Peggy, you look _fine_ ," Angie then throws a wink at Peggy, in an attempt to flirt? Maybe? Peggy doesn't know. Why would she be?

It's only then that Peggy registers the laugh that is currently erupting from Angie's mouth. Oh, it was a joke.

"In all seriousness, Peggy you look amazing and I am a little jealous."

Okay, now Peggy's a bit confused.  
\---

Peggy can practically _feel_ the boredom emitting from Angie's soul and seeping into her skin and it is murdering her.

Angie goes from tapping her fingers on the table in between them, to staring aimlessly out the window, and looking through the same pile of pictures over and over.

It is murdering Peggy. Or, at least she thinks it is because despite how much she hate's the tapping and the repetitiveness, she almost finds it endearing. By, 'almost' she means totally. If it was anyone else she most definitely would not. So, why this girl?

"Okay, let's play a game," Peggy says, after she see's how Angie takes the pictures up to look through them for the 5th time this minuet. Angie looks up to her confused at this slight outburst. "You've been doing the same 3 things for the past-" Peggy looks at her watch- "10 minuets."

Angie looks like a sad puppy then, "I just get bored quickly, sorry."

Peggy shakes her head, "Don't be, c'mon, let's play 20 questions. You first."

Angie adjusts her seat, as if getting read for something amazing, only to ask, "How old are you?"

"26. Do you have much family?"

Angie sniggers, "I have all the family." In seeing Peggy's confused face she elaborates, "I have 6 siblings, 10 cousins all together, we're pretty close and they're all very intense in their own ways." Peggy nods.

"That's a lot. I only have one brother, he works with me."

"Doing what exactly?" Angie says, slyly trying to get more out of the girl.

"Working for the government." Peggy brushes off the question, "You're turn."

"Do you get along with him? Your brother, I mean." Angie asks.

"Yes. We always were interested in the same things, though my mother was very against my, quote, 'boyish hobbies'. Now I'm earning money from those hobbies so, I win." Peggy smiles in a mischievous way, Angie mirrors it. "Why did you chose a bus?"

Angie holds up the camera she has sat beside her, "The pictures, of course. Usually I take pictures of pretty girls, but sometimes they don't let me." Peggy raises an eyebrow. "That's okay though. Why did you take the bus, Peg?"

"I like them better, it takes longer but long trips are very soothing. Also, I finished my work and don't have to be back in California for a couple of days so I figured why not?"

They fall into easy conversation, until the conversation finishes naturally and Angie dozes off to sleep.

Peggy thinks it is very cute. Who wouldn't, the girl has the side of her forehead resting on the window, the rest of her head is tilted and her mouth is slightly opened. Angie has one earphone in, Peggy thinks she can just hear the soft theatrical-sounding music coming from them.

Angie would listen to show tunes, after all.

Peggy catches herself admiring the girl, thinking about her in a way someone who is no more than a friendly acquaintance should.

But Peggy doesn't want to stop looking at her and thinking these things because no matter how much she tries to fight it, Angie Last-Name-Unknown is a really, really cute sleeper.

Peggy needs a distraction. Work.   
\---

Peggy pulls out her laptop from the bag settled next to her, opening it up to iTunes, then a word document for a report about her job in New York that she was working on, she plugs in the headphones, glaces to Angie opposite her, and gets to work.

About 2 minuets in Peggy's got the work flowing through her veins and out of her fingertips, and yet she keeps catching herself glancing up to check on the girl opposite her, as if she's afraid that if she doesn't then Angie'll just float away and will never have even been there.

This is the last thing Peggy wants.  
\---

Angie wakes up with a yawn a little while later, Peggy is glad. She finished her work a little over ten minuets ago and almost got as bored as Angie.

Angie's quick to strike up a conversation, "What are you gunna miss most about new York?"

Peggy thinks for a moment, looking over the fields milling over all the things she loved in New York City, "Probably the food."

Angie nods, "The food was unlike any other. The pizza was the best I'd say."

"Agreed. What will you miss most?"

"Well, not the guys for sure, they're the worst part. And I'm never even interested in them-" Angie says, Peggy ponders the 'I'm never even interested in them for a second' before deciding that it isn't that she's into girls but that she just didn't like them- "I much prefer girls."

_Oh._

"As do I, though some of the men weren't bad looking, just bad at...being." Peggy laughs, closely followed by Angie.

Eventually, they fall into easy conversation about this, that and everything in between and Peggy really quite loves how easy it is to talk to Angie.

In the middle of a conversation, the bus comes to a jarring halt and shows a little shop that hold everything that you would need for a 41 hour bus trip.

"You have a ten minuets. Get everything that you need and then get back here, if you aren't on in 10, you're being left behind. No exceptions." The bus driver says, like a mantra that he's repeated for years - which he probably has.  
\---

Angie's holding a basket in one hand and picking up snacks in the other.

"If you want anything, feel free to throw it in the basket, we can split the pay." Angie says, simply.

Peggy's surprised for a second, but the girl just keeps walking ad Peggy can't help but feel like she's in a totally natural situation. So Peggy does what Angie says, she drops anything she wants in the bag. Energy drink, Doritos, breakfast bars, along with Angie's Pringles, Caprisuns, and jar of Nutella.  
\---

When they're at the check out, Angie turns to Peggy with a question in her eyes, "Peg, how come you're in America if you could be in England?"

Peggy gets this question a lot, the question's answer is easy to her, "I grew up in England, but when my brother got a call from the place he works now, my family didn't want to leave him and he didn't want to be so far from us - so we moved here and my brother got me a job where we now work."

Easy.

"Which is what exactly?"

Peggy smiles mischievously.

"Alright, English, don't answer. One day I'll know though."

Peggy likes this idea of a future with Angie Martinelli (who's last name she did, in fact, learn).

She also likes this nickname.   
\---

No one except Angie and Peggy come back to the bus. Most must have thought that the 10 hour trip was no reason for a flight and the drive for them, was too far.

There is only them on the bus, and the driver, of course. He pulls out onto the road and before long is only focused on the cement ahead of them, and where it leads.  
\---

"Hey, Peg?" Peggy looks up from her book, hoping that this will be enough signal for Angie to keep talking, "Can you... Can you help me run some lines?"

For a second, Peggy's confused, but after realising what she's being handed - a script - she gets it, "Oh, yes, of course."

What does she have to lose? The only people on the bus are her, Angie and the driver, who seems content with whatever he's doing. So, she runs through some lines with Angie. She thinks it's going to be fun, then, Angie gets into character.  
\---

It's clear what sort of person Angie is, bubbly and cute - someone who you can confine in and you know you can trust her. But in two seconds flat, in the blink of an eye, Angie changes from that girl to another, a girl who doesn't share secrets, someone ominous and mysterious.

It almost terrifies Peggy, she forgets to read her lines, still completely entranced by the sheer change in personality.

Peggy misses the bubbly girl, but for Angie's sake she reads the lines and see's Angie - or the girl who _was_ Angie - act.

It's pretty amazing.

Peggy tells her that a million times when they finish the scene. Angie seems bashful.  
\---

The next stop is a half an hour later, they've been sitting mostly in silence with a few comments here and there about this and that. There are some more people lined up outside, not too many, but enough to fill the bus up some more.

Peggy is dying to wash, there is no type of bathroom anywhere near here and although she has a place set up in California she isn't sure she can wait so long.

The bus driver says his thing, Peggy says, "I'm just going to the toilets to wash my face, I'll be back soon."

Angie looks up and says, "Oh, I'm coming too, I feel like I'm dripping grease."

Once, in the toilets, Peggy washes her face with some cold water and subconsciously grabs to her left, trying to get the towel that she would usually use to dry her face. At this point, she realised that she was entirely with out any kind of drying material like Angie was.

Peggy decided to go with the only thing she could, she lifted up the bottom of her shirt and dragged it up to her face, dried herself with that then dropped back down. Of course Peggy realised that she was going to show off her stomach but really, that was better than walking around with a dripping wet face.

Peggy looked over to Angie, to see if she was finished, only to see that the girls bottom lip is caught between her teeth and her face is slightly flushed.

"You okay there Angie?" Peggy asks, almost concerned at the amount of blood in her cheeks.

Angie nods, falling out of her trance, "Yeah...Y'know, English, if you needed something to dry off with you could have just asked me for a towel, you didn't have to show off your six pack to me." Angie winked.

Peggy just stood there, relatively stunned about the wink just thrown at her, "Also, you look really nice without make-up."

Peggy didn't even really register that she had washed off her make-up, all she really knew was that she hadn't been without make-up in front of any one for a long time, and here she was with a girl who she hardly knew, and perfectly comfortable.

But, she still didn't have her lipstick on and _that_ was a necessity.

Peggy fished the lipstick out of her bag, uncapped it and laid it on her lips, in 30 easy seconds she had changed the way she looked.

Peggy glanced over to Angie, nodded she was ready to go, then got straight back onto the bus; just in time.

What Peggy didn't notice, was the fact that Angie had finished much before her and her eyes trailed all along her hand, staring easily at Peggy's lips with hooded eyes.  
\---

The sky's are clouding over, not with very ominous clouds but with clouds that are just there to steal some sunlight and make it cold.

After seeing Angie's performance, Peggy can't help but wonder what it is that made her take this route.

"Why do you want to be an actress?" Peggy asked, in the middle of the comfortable silence.

Angie looked a little startled, but soon reclaimed herself, "Well, I like to show the different people, make up their stories, partially, convey them through me, make people feel for them and feel teh same as them."

Angie says it with such an amount of certainty that it surprises her, it's amazing to Peggy that she can be so sure of where she wants to go with her life.

"That's pretty impressive, I admire you for wanting to do that, for wanting to help other people." Angie beams at her, clearly glad about the compliment, though not for long, she dropped the smile and looked solemnly at Peggy, then said:

"You might be the only one who thinks that."

"I might be the only smart person on the planet."  
\---

Angie dozes off shortly after their little conversation, Peggy follows quickly.

Though, it is short lived, Peggy jolts from her light sleep when she hears a group of eight friends, a blonde and a brunette are holding hands, the others just trying to get to the back seats. Though the two girls holding hands aren't what make Peggy stare, it's the soaking wet state of their clothes and the miserable look on their faces. Once Peggy properly comes to she also registers the harsh sound of rain falling onto the windows.

Peggy promptly straightens up and looks out of the window, only to be greeted with a great sense of nostalgia. Nostalgia because the torrential downpour of rain falling down onto the pavement and how the window seems to be melting reminds her greatly of the time back in Britain when it rained mid-summer. For some reason, the new cold over the coach makes her smile.

In a few minuets, in which Peggy listening to a conversation about where this group of delinquents are going first when they get to California, Angie wakes up with a terrified look on her face.

"Angie, are you okay?" Peggy asks, leaning forward, concern lacing her voice.

Angie shifts uncomfortably, "Um...I just, really don't like the rain, I'm just not used to it being so...intense." Angie shakes her head, "Don't worry about me, English." Angie laces her fingers together.

Before Peggy can think of what she's doing, she reaches out her hand and covers Angie's hand with it, who parts her own hands and takes Peggy's, "You'll be okay, Angie."

"Yeah, doesn't stop me from being spooked though,"

"You rightfully are, I mean, I grew up with rain like this, but it's okay to be afraid," Peggy tries to put the girls worries at ease.

Angie just nods, squeezing Peggy's hand and looking up to the roof.   
\---

The storm lasts a long time, at least an hour or so. The driver's going slower, with the roads being more dangerous and the windshield being more obscured, it's not a surprise to Peggy that he has to. Peggy would rather be   
\---

The storms long gone now, Angie looks over at Peggy from looking over at the newly drying road, "How come you were smiling when I woke up?"

Peggy looks up from her book, searching her mind for a second at what Angie was talking about, "The rain. It reminded me of England. How much I didn't realise how much I miss it."

Angie looks like she mulls this over in her head, before coming out with another question, "Would you go back there? If you could?"

Peggy promptly shakes her head, "I can miss it a lot sometimes, when I'm feeling particularly nostalgic. But there's something more here, more reasons to stay here everyday,"

Angie nods at that, "I'm glad Peg, I don't know how i would have lasted this trip with out you."  
\---

Angie only take her hand out of Peggy's when she wants to dip her finger into the nutella that she bought a while ago, Peggy tries not to stare, when Angie sucks her finger into her mouth, she barely succeeds.

Peggy misses the constant warmth of the hand accompanying her own, the feeling of Angie's hand against her own, the unconscious occasional squeeze of Peggy's hand by Angie.

Peggy doesn't think these are friendly feelings, she doesn't really mind.   
\---

Peggy settles next to Angie after having a strangely intense argument about what movie to watch (they settled on _They Came Together_ )

Peggy hands her an earphone, then plays the movie. Peggy assumes that she'll love it, she's pretty sure that she's right. Peggy's seen it before but she's not against watching it again, for Angie she will.

Throughout the whole thing, Peggy's very aware of Angie's presence next to her; and the laughs they let out together.

It's clear that Angie enjoys the movie, and Peggy likes that she was right about it, as if she knows the basics of the girl's mind when they've known each other for under a day.  
\---

The movie ends and Peggy can't move, well, she doesn't feel like she should because Angie's head is nestled on Peggy's shoulder and the only thing that Peggy can find in her to do is nap with the girl.

Is there anything else that she should do?

Peggy weighs out her options, if she does take a nap the group of teens at the back might take their stuff, but all to steal is what? Food and a 5 year old laptop.

And right now the little snores that Angie's letting out for a few seconds at a time are too much to not fall asleep to.  
\---

Angie's head has lulled over to the window, her nose and forehead pressed seemingly uncomfortably against it, though she looks perfectly comfortable, the snores have stopped and now her chest just raises slowly and simply.

There are only a few more people on the bus than when they drifted off to sleep, now there's a short, brody girl and a boy next to her, and a ginger girl and brunette sat peacefully next to each other, sharing earphones. And an elderly couple, reading pages of a newspaper together.

Before Angie wakes up, Peggy figures she should move back to her seat.

She really should.

But she really doesn't want to.

So instead she treasures the warmth from Angie for a while and remembers it.

Then she moves back to her side.

Peggy figures out that they probably slept for about 2 hours meaning that they're about halfway through the journey.   
\---

Even more People get on at the next stop, when they're in Colorado. Having been on their own for a lot of the journey it's a surprise having so many people on the bus with them.

"Peg, can you believe how far we have left? I'm not so sure I'll survive," Angie says, she woke up a little while ago, with a distant look of disappointment on her face. (Peggy wants to think it was because she wasn't by her side).

Having to think about the journey ahead of them is almost comforting for Peggy, if she were alone she wouldn't be particularly happy about it. She'd probably spend it like the broody girl in the corner.

"It's not too bad. At least we have good company, right?" Peggy tries to make the situation seem less dire for Angie.

She feigns surprise, "Really? Who?" Angie raises one eyebrow, Peggy leans forward to playfully smack her on the arm and Angie fills the whole bus with laughter, "I'm just playing with you, Peg. It is way better with you here."  
\---

It's night.

The stars are out, scattering the sky slightly more than they would be in New York. Angie is clearly taking a lot of interest in them.

There isn't much around, minus the other cars, and Peggy's travelling companions all there is to take note of is a cracked and worn road that stretches on too far for comfort.

Angie now seems to be frowning at the stars. It doesn't really make much sense to Peggy, why would you frown at something so beautiful? So, she asks just that.

Angie's reply comes, "I was trying to find the constellations," She explains, "All the different ones have stories, and I was trying to find the constellations."

Peggy nods, after a few seconds of staring at the stars aimlessly, "What's your favourite?"

Angie frowns, before realising what Peggy meant, "Phaeton and Cygnus. Phaeton and Cygnus were racing each other across the sky when they came too close to the Sun. Their chariots burned up and they fell to Earth. Cygnus lived and, after looking for Phaeton for a while, he discovered his friend’s body trapped at the bottom of the a river. He couldn't get to his body, though, so he made a deal with Zeus. If the god made him a swan, he would only live as long as a swan usually does," Angie's hands were moving at a mile a minuet emphasising all her points,   
"Once he was made a swan, Cygnus was able to dive into the river, get Phaeton’s body and give his friend a proper burial. This let Phaeton’s soul to travel to the afterlife. Zeus was moved by Cygnus’ sacrifice and placed his image in the sky, as a constellation."

Peggy smiles at the story, "I can see why you like it. So, do you know many of them?"

Angie shrugs nonchalantly, "Only the ones I like."

Peggy has a feeling she knows many of them.  
⦁ Peggy ends up falling asleep to the words of Angie Martinelli. She sleeps peacefully.  
Peggy listens to some more of Angie's stories about the stars, loving how the girl is so passionate about something, until she can't keep her eyes open.

Peggy falls asleep to the words of Angie Martinelli.

Peggy sleeps peacefully.  
\---

There are about 15 more hours of their trip left.

The past 25 hours have probably been some of the most fun hours of Peggy's life. Being with Angie make her much happier, and the fact that she could spend 41 free hours with her just makes it all the more worth it.

But then Peggy thinks about how when she gets to California, the odds that she and Angie will ever meet again are one in a million. The odds of a actress to be and an Agent will meet _once_ are so low that Peggy's surprised it even happened.

What was the universe trying to get from this?

What ever it is, Peggy doesn't want to let the universe down.

She doesn't want to not see Angie again.  
\---

After half an hour of serious consideration, Peggy decides that if she wants so badly to be friends with Angie after this trip then she'd have to do something about it, so she does.

"Angie,-" She should not be this nervous- "Could I have your number, so we can know each other after this?"

Angie smiles a big smile, almost face-splitting, "Well sure Peg, but after you gotta take me on a date." She punctuates the sentence with a wink.

At first, Peggy is slightly startled. She doesn't quite know why, it was just a joke and yet she has a feeling bubbling up in her stomach that she thinks means she doesn't want it to be a joke. But _when_ did she start not wanting things to be a joke.

This is too much.

Peggy snaps herself out of her daze, only to be greeted by the sight that is Angie Martinelli laughing at her once again, head tipped back, chest quickly rising and falling, laughter filling the bus.

"Oh, English, I'm just pulling your leg. Don't sweat it."

But Peggy can't help but think about how the smile splitting Angie's face looks a little bit forced.

Peggy lets herself think that maybe Angie might want more to be than friends too.

She doesn't let that thought get too far.

But a girl can hope.  
\---

There's only 10 hours left of their trip. They've not been talking for a while, just sitting in comfortable silence with each other. There isn't much that she can say really, they've said everything they possibly can, in an only 31 space of time.

But, as it seems, Angie has got something to say, "So, what do you work as?"

Peggy's lips pull into a smile, wondering if Angie would ever let it go.

"Oh, I'm a spy." Peggy says in a way that make it seem like she's serious.

Angie's face seems to light up for a second, like it would be the best thing in the world to have a spy talking to her, but then she clearly sees the glint in Peggy's eye that means she's joking.

"That was not nice, English." Peggy lets out a small laugh, "You should be ashamed." Peggy laughs properly now.

She laughs at Angie's mock-seriousness

She laughs at the pull at Angie's lips, meaning she wants to laugh as well.

She laughs because she isn't lying.  
\---

There are only 5 hours left of the trip.

Peggy is _very_ tired. It doesn't even add up, she's been sitting down for a long time, almost 40 hours, and yet she is the most tired person in the whole entire world.

Then again, she would probably have slept a little long if Angie hadn't been doing so much talking and laughing and...and _being_.  
\---

At the next stop, a few more people come on. One person in particular, a guy in the little booth on the other side of the bus. She's taking notice of him in particular because he won't stop glancing over at Angie and it is incredibly unnerving.

Eventually, he musters up the courage to come and sit next to Angie, who was previously playing a game on her phone, and get very close to her.

"Hey, beautiful," He drawls. Peggy rolls her eyes.

"Hello," Angie says, not looking up from her phone.

"What's your name?"

"None of your business," Angie says easily.

"Alright, you're feisty then." He says with a sneer, "I'll just call you Feisty." Peggy sighs at his idiocy, "I'm Zach. Where you going?"

Angie breaths in deep, "Where we all are, California."

The man shifts, clearly getting upset at Angie's lack of interest, "Living up to your name, huh?"

"Look, I'm not interested. Please back off." Angie says, finally looking him in the eye.

His idiotic self clearly doesn't understand what those string of words mean because he goes ahead and opens his mouth again and that really pushes Peggy over the edge.

"Alright. Stop right there and listen to me." Peggy says, leaning forwards and looking him dead in the eye, "She told you loud and clear that she is not interested so how about you back off like she wants you to instead of being a little shit." Peggy raises her eyebrows in a purposely condescending manner.

The man scoffs, "And who are you? Her girlfriend?"

"I don't have to be romantically involved with someone in order to want to protect them."

Angie's smiling at her when the man get's up and leaves, mumbling something under his breath that Peggy couldn't care less about. Peggy notices that he moves to an empty booth, away from them.

"Thanks, English. I don't know what I would have done about him without him." Angie reaches out and grabs Peggy's hand again, lacing their fingers together.

"You would have done the same thing as me." Peggy runs her thumb over Angie's knuckles. They keep their hands together, and it makes Peggy smile.  
\---

2 hours. Only 2. Then they might not ever see each other again.

So Peggy stares.

Peggy stares at Angie, not in a weird way, like that guy was, but because she really just wants to remember.

Remember Angie's face, how sharp her jawline is, how her nose curves just so at the end, how her face contorts with the words that she says, how she accentuates all her words with her hands.

How she _is_.  
\---

Soon enough, Angie pulls out her camera again.

She points it out the window and presses her eye against it to look through and presses the shutter, when the picture comes out of the front, Angie smiles fondly, as if she's proud of the picture.

After a while of staring, she looks up to Peggy, who quickly tries to snap her face away from the other girl, to not seem as though she was staring.

She's pretty sure that Angie saw.

She doesn't think she cares.

"So, English, you maybe want me to take a picture of you? For the memories?" Angie picks up her camera higher and wiggles it, raising her eyebrows, and tilting her head.

Peggy considers it, "Uh, yeah, what've I got to lose?"

Angie lights up, as if Peggy just gave Angie the world on a silver platter, "Thanks, English. It really means a lot to me." She is sincere for a moment then, "Okay, look pretty, pretty lady."

Angie presses her eyes up to the camera, poised to take a picture, and does so.

Peggy thought it would be a more eventual thing, like, pose, framing, lighting, all that picture stuff.

But no, Angie just got the girl mid smile.

Clearly, Angie sees her confusion and says, "In action photo's are better. And-" Angie pulls the photo out of the camera and waits for it to appear- "Pretty lady, you did your job." She flips around the photo and shows Peggy.

Her eyes are slightly closed.

The picture is slightly blurred.

Peggy's smile is slightly bigger than usual.

The blush on Peggy's cheek is slightly more prominent than usual.

Peggy loves it.

She says so.

Angie smiles, and blushes too.  
\---

Half an hour left.

Peggy would much rather re-take and re-know all of these memories and moments.

Peggy considers telling the girl, because why wouldn't she tell her about her feelings? What does she have to lose? Nothing, really.

But she doesn't.

Because what would Angie think? For all Peggy knows she doesn't care about Peggy, all she wanted was a companion to travel with.  
\---

Getting up is strange, knowing she's going to get up and not sit back down on this bus maybe ever, is strange.

Both get up together, grab their bags in silence, then walk off to find their destinations together.  
\---

They get to the pick up area, where they should depart. Neither wants to.

"Who is picking you up?" Peggy asks Angie.

"I'm getting a cab."

"Me too."

They stand in silence for a while. Something unsaid floating between them.

Peggy clears her throat, "Okay, goodbye, Angie. I hope we can meet again soon."

Angie only nods, "Bye, English."

Peggy walks to the taxi furthest away.  
\---

Angie watches the girl walk away. The girl. Peggy. English. More.

She wants more.

So she goes and gets her _more_.

"Peggy!" Angie yells, the English woman stops putting her luggage in the trunk of the car and turns confusedly at who may have shouted her name. Her face seems to soften at the sight of Angie walking towards her.  
\---

Angie doesn't even say anything beyond the yell of Peggy's name, after that there are no words, only lips moving on lips, only sparks flying with sparks, only them and their own.

Peggy pulls away and Angie whimpers at the loss, then Angie says, "So c'mon, English," Angie raises her eyebrows, "What'd you work as?"

What does she have to lose?

Nothing.

Peggy takes a breath and answers.

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think?


End file.
